


Distant Stars

by Rifa



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drabble, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:42:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24577762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rifa/pseuds/Rifa
Summary: Keith struggles to relax while on leave from the BOM, he can't shake the anxiety of the on-going strife happening in the universe. Shiro helps him calm down.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 88





	Distant Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short drabble piece made for someone who donated to BLM causes, it was a cathartic little drabble and I hope it finds you well.

The war had long ended. Keith and Shiro had married a year ago and were living in the desert, a short drive from the Garrison. Shiro retired from active duty but had taken up a new role in galactic relations. They and the other paladins had headed up its formation, then dispersed onto their own paths.

Keith still did missions with the Blade. Even if the Galra Empire had disbanded, it hadn’t meant that the fighting was over. Not for him, not for the galaxy. There were still Galra generals and commanders who had retreated during the final battles who now sought to retake what the Empire had left behind. The power vacuum left behind made a new battleground for the Blade to tackle. 

It was exhausting coming back to Earth and hearing of the war in the past tense. As if it had truly ended as if peace was the only thing possible after a full out war. As if peace would ever just  _ exist. _

But Keith tried to take his time at home on Earth for what it was, a time to relax and just  _ breathe.  _ A time to be with his husband and to not worry about the death and destruction that he knew was still happening out past their solar system.

The sun was setting on the horizon and a distinct chill rolled over the sand and dust to where Keith was attempting to relax. He and Shiro had built the simple observation deck last summer, a raised wooden platform with a basic frame around it so they could turn it into a shelter from wind or rain. It was up on a small mesa that rose up from the dirt at the back end of their property, you had to drive in on a bike and then climb a miss-matched series of ladders and hastily-built stairs to reach it. 

Keith was swinging gently in a hammock Shiro had set up on it recently, staring at the pink and orange hues that crossed the sky. His comm was in his hand, a read message from Shiro from twenty minutes ago said he was on his way over, but Keith was stuck cycling through general comms coming in from the intergalactic channels. A ship of non-combatants had been boarded by rogue Galra forces, a dismantled mining colony was requesting aid as their planet began to collapse, another planet was reporting massive damage to their ecosystem due to the wreckage of a battleship that had yet to be cleared. A dispute over trade routes had turned to violence, an entire quadrant had gone dark on the communication boards and no one knew why yet. 

It never ended. He wouldn’t receive any messages from the Blade while he was on Earth unless it was a dire emergency, but it didn’t mean they weren’t stretched thin doing important work. And what was Keith doing? Laying in a fucking hammock in a desert impossibly far from all the unrest and violence and disaster he  _ could _ be helping.

“Hey, baby,” Shiro’s voice met him. Keith sat up as best he could in the hammock to see his husband hefting a cooler and a backpack down on the wooden planks. “Hungry?”

Shiro produced heated pods of takeout from Keith’s favourite burger place. It was basic but there was nothing in the universe that matched the cheap, smokey, greasy satisfaction of it. He had also brought a case of their brand of beer, another Earth staple for Keith, and they sat on the wooden platform across from each other and tucked in.

“Everything okay?” Shiro asked halfway through their meal.

Keith dragged his attention away from the comm in his hand, he realized with a pang of guilt that he had not been present. He didn’t even know what Shiro had been talking about a moment ago, “Uh, yeah, sorry.”

“Is the Blade contacting you?” Shiro was frowning, serious and concerned. That guilt dug in deeper.

“No,” Keith should put the comm down. He should. He instead drained the last drops of his beer.

“Hey, you’re on vacation right now,” Shiro wasn’t upset, far from it, he looked deeply concerned. “No one is going to mind if you’re not _ ‘on’  _ right now, you can put the comm down.”

Keith hesitated. Shiro was right, like he usually was, but there was a wall between Keith’s thoughts and his emotions. He  _ should _ put the comm away and focus on relaxing and enjoying his time with his husband, but also...

“Keith, talk to me,” Shiro’s voice cut through the static that was filling Keith’s mind. He set aside his food, pushed his half-full beer out of the way and crept up to Keith. Keith stiffened as the Altean arm reached him, followed by the rest of Shiro, warm and safe. “Hey, Keith, what’s up?”

Keith was confused for a split moment until he heard his breath racing and raspy echoing between his ears. He was lightheaded, his fingers tingling as Shiro’s warm hand touched them, gently taking his comm and setting it aside. Keith’s heart hammered and seized, Shiro was holding him too tightly, he couldn’t breathe.

No, wait, Shiro was light over him. His chest was tight on its own, something thick in his throat, his eyes burning. What was happening to him?

“Keith,” Shiro whispered and pressed kisses over Keith’s cheek, “Breathe for me.”

Keith tried. A strangled attempt tore through him and his eyes burned.

“Good, deeper this time,” Shiro’s hand was rubbing a circle against Keith’s back, “It’s okay, you’re safe.”

Of course Keith was safe. He was in the safest place in the universe. He was  _ lucky. _ So many people out there were suffering and scared and needed his help and he was  _ here. _ Eating a crappy burger and drinking beers while entire planets were dealing with food shortages. 

Shiro didn’t understand. He didn’t. He was always here on Earth, listening to diplomats and reading reports. He hadn’t  _ been _ out there like Keith had.

_ “Keith,”  _ Shiro’s voice was gentle but firm, he pulled Keith against him and pressed his heat across his chest. It was… nice. Keith blinked hard and felt the wetness that had gathered leak around his lashes. “You’re having a panic attack, you  _ need _ to breathe for me.”

“Shiro-” Keith’s voice broke. It was like a balloon in his chest popped and his entire body was flooded with emotion. He held back his tears, he gripped into Shiro’s jacket.

“It’s okay,” Shiro nuzzled against him, warm, safe, strong. Keith made himself small against Shiro’s chest, his own trembling and shaking with effort. “Breathe baby.”

Keith did. He was shocked at how difficult it was, like his lungs were trapped in iron.

“Good, again, let’s do it together.”

Shiro led, his chest expanding slowly against Keith’s. Keith tried to match it, tried to go in as deep and as long but it  _ hurt _ and he stuttered it out with a whine.

“Good breath, let’s go deeper this time.”

Keith closed his eyes and focused, this time the breath came easier. Shiro rubbed his back and kissed the crown of his head and Keith deflated.

“I’m sorry,” Keith mumbled against Shiro’s chest. “I-I don’t, I don’t know why…”

Shiro kissed his head again, “You’ve always been fighting, Keith, ever since I met you, before that even. I know it’s hard to take a step back, but you have to.”

“But why does it…” Keith pulled himself out of Shiro’s hug, immediately missing his warmth. “Why  _ now?” _

Shiro smiled softly, reached out and traced the scar on Keith’s cheek, “Because you are  _ safe. _ You can’t feel all your emotions while you’re fighting, so now that you feel safe and secure, it’s going to catch up with you.”

Keith frowned down at the polished and windswept planks beneath them, “That’s…”

_ Stupid. _ He wanted to say. But he couldn’t. He knew Shiro had attended a  _ lot _ of therapy since he “retired”, he had encouraged Keith to go too but Keith found ever single excuse he could to avoid it. He knew Shiro was probably right, that he knew more about this than Keith did but…

“I’m not  _ done _ fighting,” Keith almost laughed. He was exhausted. 

“I doubt you ever will be,” Shiro said fondly, his eyebrows knit as he brushed the hair away from Keith’s face. “Which is why you gotta take care of yourself in these moments, so you  _ can _ keep fighting.”


End file.
